How to Post a Job on Craigslist – The Definitive Guide

Craigslist remains one of the largest and most successful job boards in the world.

(In fact, Craigslist received over 1 million job postings every month).

Despite this success, the site has mostly remained unchanged since its launch in 1995.

With an interface as old as that, it’s no wonder that getting your job listing onto Craigslist can be a confusing process.

To solve this problem, we designed Proven, where you can simply click one button and have your job show up on Craigslist.

However, if you prefer the old fashion way, we have created this visual, step-by-step guide to posting your job opening on Craigslist. We first walk you through how to create a Craigslist account and then how to post a job.

Let’s dive right in…

Steps to Creating a Craigslist Account

There are 5 major steps to creating a Craigslist account. I am going to walk you through each step. If you already have an account, skip ahead to the steps to posting a job on Craigslist.

Please note that it is necessary to have a Craigslist account for posting jobs in paid areas of a Craigslist. How much it is to post a job on Craigslist varies based on the geo-location, but you can use this guide to find out how much it is in your area.

Step 1: Go to Craigslist.org

Open your browser and type in “craigslist.org” into the URL toolbar or go directly to Craigslist by clicking here. Craigslist will automatically detect your geo-location and redirect you to a sub-location based on your geo. As you can see in the image below, I am automatically redirected to sfbay.craigslist.org.

Step 3: Pick a Job Category

Next you need to choose an appropriate job category. From the list presented below, pick the category that best matches the type of position you are hiring for.

The pricing information may vary depending on which geo you are posting. Craigslist in the San Francisco Bay Area is the most expensive location and it is $75 for a standard listing, but most areas are around $25.

Step 5: Job Post Details

This is where you fill in the job title, description, compensation, employment type and so on for your job.

The first choice you need to make is whether to use Craigslist’s email relay, display your actual email or hide your email altogether (these choices are boxed in red in the below image).

Unless you require your applicants to fill out an application through an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), I strongly recommend sticking with Craigslist’s recommended option of using their email relay. This will create a unique Craigslist email for this posting and applicants can send their resumes directly to that address. All the information will be forwarded to you.

This helps protect your email address from being spammed or known to scammers. Also, email is the simplest way to guarantee the least amount of friction for people applying to your job, helping you secure more applications.

Now fill in the rest of the job details. Write an informative job description in the posting body, choose the employment type (ie. full-time, part-time or salaried) and describe compensation. In today’s ultra-competitive market, compensation can be a huge deciding factor for applicants! Keep that in mind!

Step 7: Add Images

This step is optional, but it’s a good idea to add images if you can. It helps make your job description more appealing and gives you an opportunity to show off your workspace, culture or anything else that you are proud of.

It’s important to remember when you are trying to attract great candidates that you want your job post to show off your brand and company. You want to attract the best and part of the recipe to do this successfully starts with creating a compelling job post that people feel inspired to apply to.

Your job posting will remain live for 30 days or until you pull it from the system!

There’s a lot of steps involved with posting a job on Craigslist and the exact steps can vary slightly depending on whether you login first, are posting in a free area, or it’s your first time posting versus your 20th.

Unfortunately, Craigslist does not store your credit card information or any default settings, so you have to enter a lot of the same information every time. Despite these limitations, the Craigslist employment section is still one of the best resources available for hiring and you can always skip the headache of these steps by posting your job through Proven.

FAQ About Posting Jobs To Craigslist:

Where can I post a job for free?

Craigslist charges a fee for job postings in all US cities. However, for no markup, you can post your job to Craigslist using Proven and get tons of tools to more effectively manage your hiring process.

Is Craigslist free?

Most of the services on Craigslist are free. However, if you are posting a job or if you are a dealer selling goods in the United States, you will likely incur one of Craigslist’s fees. Craigslist is free to use except for the following:

A job ad on Craigslist costs between $7 and $75, depending on your geographic location. If you are posting in a free area of Craigslist, your job post will incur no charge.

How do I post a job on Craigslist for free?

You may only post a free job ad on Craigslist if you live in one of their free areas. All US cities on Craigslist currently charge a fee for posting a job. If you live in a US city, a Craigslist job ad will cost you anywhere from $7-$75. These prices are set by geographic location.

How does Craigslist make their money?

Craigslist makes their money mostly through job postings. Other ways Craigslist generates revenue is through various by-dealer seller categories, brokered apartment rentals in the NYC area and through therapeutic services charges. You can view the (short) list of the posting fees that Craigslist charges to get a better idea.

What is the best online job site?

The best online job board is dependant on what you need. Some of the big job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder offer a big user base. However, employers with more of a niche job to fill might want to look at niche job boards to fill their open position.